GROWING OLD
So often
My buoyant feeble mind
Shell shocked
From years of active warfare
Walking hallucination
Plummets in stoic snow slide
In the mirror
A strange old man smiles back at me
Beefy cheeks
Creeping crow’s feet
Smokey eyeglasses
Tint mischievous lonely eyes
Thinning hair
Grey in spots
Ruddy facial veins
Recovery’s Purple Heart
Each scar
Earned by 30 years of hard abuse
At times
I fail to recognize him
Other times
I simply fail
Today
It’s OK
To be just a man
A good Dad to my children
Compassionate towards others
Who lives and loves
As God created me
And blame the bloopers
On growing old
© Bill Grimes Jr. 2005
